Half of Canadians Would Not Date Someone Who Vapes

Most residents agree with the government’s decision to prohibit the sale of vaping products to minors and ban certain flavours.

Vancouver, BC [November 21, 2018] – A sizeable proportion of Canadians appear to be put off by users of electronic cigarettes, a new Research Co. poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample, 50% of Canadians say they would not consider dating a person who used e-cigarettes.

The areas where most residents say they would not date vapers are British Columbia (60%) and Ontario (52%).

Across the country, 11% of Canadians say they have used an electronic cigarette in the past year—a proportion that rises to 19% among those aged 18-to-34, 15% in Atlantic Canada and 13% in Alberta.

Majorities of Canadians agree with a series of policies to address vaping that were implemented by the federal government as part of Bill S-5, including prohibiting the sale of vaping products to minors (88%), restricting any reference to e-cigarettes as healthier than standard tobacco products (73%), restricting the use of testimonials and “lifestyle” advertising for vaping products (71%) and banning certain flavours of vaping products, such as “confectionery” (62%).

In addition, three-in-four Canadians (76%) believe there should be a ban on the use of e-cigarettes in public places where smoking is currently prohibited, and 91% want vaping products that contain nicotine to display a warning, similar to the one used for tobacco products.

“While vaping has been around for a few years, it has not become a pervasive ritual in Canada,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Most Canadians are comfortable with vapers getting the same treatment that is afforded to smokers.”

Methodology:

Results are based on an online study conducted from August 27 to August 30, 2018, among 1,001 adults in Canada. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.1 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.